The secret rage of motherhood: ‘I never imagined that my child could be both the trigger and target of my anger’

Good therapy helps. Good friends help. Pretending that we are doing better than we are doesn’t. Shame doesn’t. Being heard does.” (Anne Lamott – Mother Rage Theory and Practice) A memory from when my son is three: I’m three times his height and weight, engaged in an absurd tug of war over a piece of wood (I want to burn it in the fire, he wants it to be a boat). It begins with disagreement,...